Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) has clarified it can do nothing on the matter after a tribal youth was denied the job of a Beat Officer in the Forest department just because of his protruding teeth.
“PSC is helpless in this case. It requires an amendment to the provisions (Special Rules) of the Kerala Public Services Act for candidates with buck teeth to be able to get a job in the uniform. And that decision to effect an amendment is a political one,” PSC sources said.
“The government has to take a call after consultations with various departments. It will also consult with the PSC once it decides to amend the rules. If we are asked, then the Commission will hold a meeting to discuss the same and inform the government of our stance. Whether to accept the same or not is the government's discretion,” a PSC source said.
“Usually, PSC won’t approach the government with a demand to amend appointment provisions. The Beat Forest Officer post is only for tribal youths. There were media reports of a tribal youth named Muthu getting disqualified for the post on the ground that he was having protruding teeth.
“The certificate examination of the probable candidates to be included in the rank list is on. For jobs in uniform services, the candidates should mandatorily produce a medical certificate from a medical officer not below the rank of Assistant Surgeon. Their eligibility is decided on its basis. The medical certificate should be produced as per the provisions regarding appointments to government services,” the person added.
The physical requirements for Uniform posts are as follows:-
Each eye must have a full field of vision. Deficiencies like colour blindness will result in disqualification. Candidates must not have physical defects like knock-knee, flat foot, varicose vein, bow legs, deformed hands and limbs, irregular and protruding teeth, or defective speech and hearing. The candidates should produce the original certificate issued by a Medical officer, not below the rank of Assistant Surgeon or Junior Consultant proving his/her meeting the required physical standards and visual standards, without glasses, at the time of the physical examination.
“If it is mentioned in the medical certificate of a candidate that he/she is having protruded teeth, then the PSC has no other way but to disqualify them. A Physical Efficiency Test Board, which includes Forest officers, will examine the candidates for the post of Beat Forest Officer. The successful candidates will have to go through another round of medical examination before they could join the service as Beat Forest Officers. They can be disqualified in this stage too. Even if the PSC issues an Advice Memo, a candidate has to undergo a medical examination done by the department. Only after that, they will be called for training. This is the provision existing for years altogether,” the sources added.
